Stressed about Sunday

I really thought I had made the transition. I've lived in or near Chicago for over 10 years now and am probably going to be here for the long haul. I thought it made sense to become a Bears fan. I watch every game, read every article about the team, and obsess about every crappy offensive play call. But when they're scheduled to face off against the Bengals, I find that I just can't cheer against my old team.

The last time the Bengals played the Bears, it was 2005 at Soldier Field. I went to that game, a true Bengals fan, with Jason, Brandi, and my Dad. It was one of the first games of the season. Carson Palmer was playing like a superstar and Cincinnati had a real shot at making it to the playoffs. The Bears, on the other hand, were struggling. Rex Grossman went down in the preseason and  3rd string rookie quarterback, Kyle 'neck beard' Orton, was in charge of the offense. It was pouring rain that day and we left at halftime, but Orton threw a handful of interceptions and Cincinnati won easily.

The Bears did get better that year and even made it to the first round of the playoffs. But the Bengals were hot and we were all feeling confident that THIS was the year. Then tragedy struck. Carson Palmer went down on the second play of the first playoff game with a torn ACL. I remember feeling stunned, all my hopes and dreams shattered. Even Birds' Nest wings couldn't ease my pain.

The Bengals had a rough go of it the next few years; however, the Bears made it to the Superbowl the very next season behind a badass defense and rookie Devin Hester's punt returning magic. That was the year I bought all my Bears gear and started acting like I was a real Chicago fan. I stopped going to Bengals bars and started making fun of the team. 'The Bungles' I called them.

I feel like a fair weather fan. All it took was a couple of inspirational episodes of Hard Knocks and victories over the Steelers and Ravens, and here I am, back in my Bengals T-shirt chanting 'Who Dey' with my friends.

I don't know what's going to happen on Sunday, but I know in my heart who I want to win. I do love both teams, and still consider myself a Bears fan, too. I'm just happy they only play each other every 4 years or so. This game is stressing me out!